Coming soon – Sherlock: The Empty Hearse Q&A

It’s one of the most eagerly awaited comebacks in recent television history – the return of the world’s most famous super-sleuth in the BBC’s phenomenally successful small-screen series Sherlock.

Two years ago, Sherlock Holmes plunged to his apparent death from a rooftop in ‘The Reichenbach Fall’, the final episode of the show’s second series. On Sunday afternoon, the mystery of how he survived the fall was solved for the audience at a preview screening at BFI Southbank of ‘The Empty Hearse’, the first episode in a new series to be broadcast in the new year.

Such was the demand for the quickly sold-out screening that fans began queuing for standby tickets from 4pm the Friday before.

Stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) and Martin Freeman (Dr Watson) took part in an on-stage Q&A after the screening, along with writer and co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, director Jeremy Lovering and producer Sue Vertue. The audience was implored not to divulge the secrets of the new episode before it airs on 1 January 2014.

Cast members Amanda Abbington, Andrew Scott, Una Stubbs and Louise Brealey and executive producer Beryl Vertue were also in the audience, along with Sherlock aficionado Jonathan Ross and his wife Jane Goldman.

The Q&A will go online in the near future so watch this space for further details.